Asia Pacific Dragons have named their team, a mixture of Japanese, Pacific Islanders (Hale T-Pole, Nili Latu, Tusi Pisi, Seilala Mapusua) and even a former All Black (Isaac Ross) and Wallaby (Radike Samo). Some interesting players in the team, most notably the legendary Rupeni Caucaunibuca and former Japan captain Takuro Miuchi now 38 years old on the bench. Should be an interesting game for Eddie Jones to ease his players into the Asian international season, just might be a concern that against a slung together team it might just end up as two teams engaging in a Barbarians style basketball contest like the French Barbarians game in 2012 which isn't really what Japan need.

Duk has been in the TL for quite a while I think. Don't know about Yang, and Kilryong So is actually Korean Japanese and has been in the Japan seniors training camps in the past couple of years without being able to make the final cut. He was added to the Japan squad mid-tour for the November international season last year and came off the bench for his first game in Japan colours vs Gloucester so he's a fringe Japan player and the japan team management probably want him getting some game time in case of injuries especially since young sensation Kenki Fukuoka is out injured so So would probably be next cab off the rank called into the squad should another winger go down with injury in the A5N and Lipotavin D Challenge games v Samoa and Italy. There's quite a number of South Koreans (as well as Japanese-Koreans) in the TL and Regional league teams but obviously more aren't involved in this game because they'll be doing their own prep with the Korean team. And the same is true for other Asian players from HKG, Phillipines etc.

In other Japan news, founder member of Japan's J-League football (and I think these days in J2) Bellmare Shonan have announced in the Sankei Sports Daily that they are setting up a 7s rugby club for both men and women and will hold tryouts on May 11th. It's the first instance of a J-league football club delving into rugby though the club is now officially a sports club rather than football club. J1 club Albirex Niigata have established a basketball team in the pro b-j league basketball championship. It would be great if they were to establish a pro rugby club as well since there's no pro team on the Japan sea coast and very little visibility for rugby in that area (Japan did play a couple of A5N games at Albirex's stadium a few years ago).

Awkward. Not the result I'm sure that Eddie Jones or new captain Michael Leitch would've been hoping for even if the Japan XV was a bit understrength. The game was broadcast but unfortunately I couldn't pick it up on streaming. Hopefully someone will load it to youtube so we can see what the Japan performance was like but Japan were leading 15-0 after 24mins. According to the JRFU's matchtracker only 3.6k crowd turned up. That's lower than some of the TL games. Pretty damn poor when there is a big rugby population in the area. So it seems the JRFU is still struggling to 1) preach to the unconverted 2) connect with their own rugby community. The school kids probably had their own practices or games and the uni's were probably on open season camps or friendly games to make sure their new teams are being created after the seniors recently graduated. Much more important than going and supporting your national team! I actually doubt most school rugby teachers and school and uni players were even aware Japan was playing at Hanazono such is the way everyone just works in their own part of the community. And let's face it most teachers would be too busy with school work to take the kids to the rugby even if there wasn't a team practice or game on. And none of the parents would raise the idea of taking the team to the game because other parents might be busy and it might be putting pressure on them and therefore imposing and you wouldn't want to cause other parents to look bad and lose face. That could harm the harmony of the team and relations between parents ...such is the way in Japan

Too rough in the last gestures, too penalized, the Japanese team has also paid the obvious immaturity of its line of 3/4 and its bench in the rear.

The weakness of the pair of centers Ryoto Nakamura / Daishi Murata against the powerful islanders and the lack of success in front of Nakamura, unable to forget the absence of Ayumu Goromaru, have been significant.

Japanese nevertheless had the means to win. Akihito Yamada Eddie Jones will hear screaming. In the first half it was a two against one to play but he chose to score in the corner but is barely catch up. The look of Eddie Jones worth a screen.

Hinato wrote:Too rough in the last gestures, too penalized, the Japanese team has also paid the obvious immaturity of its line of 3/4 and its bench in the rear.

The weakness of the pair of centers Ryoto Nakamura / Daishi Murata against the powerful islanders and the lack of success in front of Nakamura, unable to forget the absence of Ayumu Goromaru, have been significant.

Japanese nevertheless had the means to win. Akihito Yamada Eddie Jones will hear screaming. In the first half it was a two against one to play but he chose to score in the corner but is barely catch up. The look of Eddie Jones worth a screen.

Yes Nakamura left a few points out on the field with missed kicks that would've made the difference. I hope Yamada hasn't just blotted his chances for the future. It's taken him a long time to break into the team for a start. I see he did get a try of his own. I hope it was a good one Kilryong So got one for the AP Babas too.

Yeah I'm not surprised about the centres, Nakamura is a big boy at almost 100kg (biggest Japanese centre I've ever seen) but of course very inexpereinced compared to the vets he was up against.

What's happened to Craig Wing BTW? Is he out injured or Eddie has decided that he has to go for the future with someone new?

Hinato wrote:Too rough in the last gestures, too penalized, the Japanese team has also paid the obvious immaturity of its line of 3/4 and its bench in the rear.

The weakness of the pair of centers Ryoto Nakamura / Daishi Murata against the powerful islanders and the lack of success in front of Nakamura, unable to forget the absence of Ayumu Goromaru, have been significant.

Japanese nevertheless had the means to win. Akihito Yamada Eddie Jones will hear screaming. In the first half it was a two against one to play but he chose to score in the corner but is barely catch up. The look of Eddie Jones worth a screen.

Yes Nakamura left a few points out on the field with missed kicks that would've made the difference. I hope Yamada hasn't just blotted his chances for the future. It's taken him a long time to break into the team for a start. I see he did get a try of his own. I hope it was a good one Kilryong So got one for the AP Babas too.

Yeah I'm not surprised about the centres, Nakamura is a big boy at almost 100kg (biggest Japanese centre I've ever seen) but of course very inexpereinced compared to the vets he was up against.

What's happened to Craig Wing BTW? Is he out injured or Eddie has decided that he has to go for the future with someone new?

Craig Wing is currently in France. He visited Paris and was in St. Tropez recently. You know, I begin to pray for Goromaru was not injured for the World Cup because it would be wrong level scorer. When you know how Yamada struggled to convince Eddie Jones. It leaves a very good season and first match with Japan this year and we made a big mistake ...

YamahaKiwi wrote:Awkward. Not the result I'm sure that Eddie Jones or new captain Michael Leitch would've been hoping for even if the Japan XV was a bit understrength. The game was broadcast but unfortunately I couldn't pick it up on streaming. Hopefully someone will load it to youtube so we can see what the Japan performance was like but Japan were leading 15-0 after 24mins. According to the JRFU's matchtracker only 3.6k crowd turned up. That's lower than some of the TL games. Pretty damn poor when there is a big rugby population in the area. So it seems the JRFU is still struggling to 1) preach to the unconverted 2) connect with their own rugby community. The school kids probably had their own practices or games and the uni's were probably on open season camps or friendly games to make sure their new teams are being created after the seniors recently graduated. Much more important than going and supporting your national team! I actually doubt most school rugby teachers and school and uni players were even aware Japan was playing at Hanazono such is the way everyone just works in their own part of the community. And let's face it most teachers would be too busy with school work to take the kids to the rugby even if there wasn't a team practice or game on. And none of the parents would raise the idea of taking the team to the game because other parents might be busy and it might be putting pressure on them and therefore imposing and you wouldn't want to cause other parents to look bad and lose face. That could harm the harmony of the team and relations between parents ...such is the way in Japan

Japan's experimental teams of 2nd or 3rd string players don't have a great record in terms of results. I'm sure you remember the French Barbarians games a couple of years ago that really pissed Eddie Jones off. Losing to a scratch Pacific team is indeed a poor result, even though most of the side was second/third string especially in the backs, there were several first choice players in the back row and locks as well. Still, better Eddie finds out who isn't good enough now than in more important matches.

Regarding Nakamura, I saw some potential in what I saw of him last year in the A5N, although it was against weak opposition. Like we have both noted, he is probably one of those talented player who's development is slowed by the system. This was probably one of the first games he's played up against the calibre and experience of Mapusua, hard to go from Uni rugby to that and star straight away. A top talented French player like Fickou is only 20 and has two seasons of Top 14/Heineken Cup behind him. Ridiculous Japan can't fast track players like him and Fujita into the Top League so they can learn from playing with and against senior players.

Something I must note is that Ryoto Nakamura, visually at least, looks far bulkier than your steretypical Japanese back. There were a couple of nice touches in that very short video as well, it will be very interesting to see how he develops now that he is out of the University system and signed up with Suntory Sungoliath.

Hinato said that he was working with the company instead of training in the off season, but he certainly looks like he does he fair bit in the gym.

Interesting that with Tatekawa and Nakamura Japan now have two ethnic Japanese midfielders with a fair bit of muscle in them, that potentially could be a pretty solid midfield defensively (Tatekawa certainly doesn't shirk contact) whilst also offering skill to play the Japan way in attack. Will be very interested to see how much opportunity young Nakamura gets, he is very inexperienced, but Wing aged 34 may not be a long term option either so the 12 spot may be open to somebody, Tamura is another contender.

He's a big boy alright B. As Sau is still relatively young, I can see a Tatekawa-Nakamura-Sau combination. Physically, that should stand up to anyone. Crucially, it would also give japan two real crash ball options in the centres. Craig Wing tried manfully taking the ball up last year and sometimes could get over the gainline but he really doesn't have the crash-ball physique! With two centres who could get the ball over the gainline, it takes the pressure off what will always be a slightly smaller Japanese forward pack, compared to other tier one and two opposition, to do all the work of getting over the gainline. having that option would certainly help Japan as long as nakamura could also do the skillful set-play stuff as well of course. And of course size doesn't naturally translate (sorry for the pun!) to greatness. Imamura was big for a Japanese player when he first arrived on the scene but never became a great player even if he did make the national team and Goromaru still hasn't quite fulfilled his potential IMO due to not consistently playing well game in, game out. Other players like Fumiaki Tanaka while showing some talent, were abysmal in many facets of their play before joining the TL but on the flip side developed into good players once there. So we shall see. I'm crossing my fingers!

PS Beeman, remember on the old forum I picked up on Tanaka not kicking himself out of defense in Japan games last year and always passing to Tatekawa or Goromaru? Well the NZ commentators picked up on Genia doing the same thing to Quade Cooper when the Reds were trying to exit their own area against the 'Canes last weekend in Super rugby. Even the best...

Hinato, thank you for the update, but we only allow English here as we want everyone to be able to understand what is going on. Please post your opinions in English, with a link to a google English translation of your article. Thank you.

Hinato, thank you for the update, but we only allow English here as we want everyone to be able to understand what is going on. Please post your opinions in English, with a link to a google English translation of your article. Thank you.

The Japan Rugby Football Union today announced the package Yusuke Aoki (Suntory Sungoliath). The Japanese international was injured during training camp Brave Blossoms on the lawn of the team Sanix Blues, Munakata. Coach Eddie Jones loses hooker holder for the tournament, in the absence of Shota Horie participating in Super Rugby with the Melbourne Rebels.

Following this new package, there are only two hookers available for the Asian 5 Nations tournament. Takeshi Kizu (Kobelco Steelers) or Hiroki Yuhara (Toshiba Brave Lupus) should thus begin the game in the Philippines on Saturday.

As announced a few days ago on Rugby Japan, Fukuoka Sanix Blues officially became today Munakata Sanix Blues. Club Blues finally takes the name of the city where he sits and looks especially closer to the associative model in the long term.

The JRFU is bringing in the cavalry...Luke Thompson joins the team on 8th May (Nagoya camp) while Shota Horie, Harumichi Tatekawa & Male Sau join on the 11th (Fukuoka camp). Kenki Fukuoka is also joining the earlier camp after coming back from injury.

It's the Golden Week holidays in Japan and the annual Sanix International High School Rugby Invitation is going on. NZ's Hamilton BHS and SA's Paarl BHS were to meet in the final today after big (60point +) winners over East Fukuoka HS (recent All Japan HS Invitation Champs winners) and St Edmunds College (Australia) respectively in the quarters. They were joined in the cup semis by Japan's Tokai Uni Gyousei HS (Osaka) and France's Lycee Louis de Foix. The Uruguyan team, Montevideo British School almost beat the Lycee in the QF but were just edged out 20-22. The two powerhouses then proceeded to win their semis in comfortable style as well. Full resultshttp://www.rugby-japan.jp/national/inter/2014/img/sanix_youth2014/sanix_11.pdf

Sankei Sports reports that the biggest traditional game in the Japanese domestic rugby, the game between top private universities Waseda and Meiji (known as the Soumeisen), that takes place in early December, may be held at the Tokyo Dome, home of Japan's biggest, and most popular baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants. This is because the national stadium after the Japan-HKG A5N game is being closed and totally rebuilt for the 2019RWC and 2020 Olympics. The game drew almost 47K (sellout) last year and the coaches of the two teams are unhappy the game is scheduled to be played at the much smaller Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (25K) instead.

They are proposing to use the Tokyo Dome. If the dome was used it would be the first ever rugby game at that venue, and the first rugby game in Japan under a roof. The baseball season is well finished by early December and Japanese pro American football uses the dome for its championship matches every year. The JRFU though has replied that it may not be possible because of the terms and conditions of the broadcast contract for the game with national broadcaster NHK but said a decision would be made in early June.

Nicholas Ealey (Panasonic Wild Knights) could evolve in Otago ITM Cup next season. Very credible option already by the connections between the club and the Japanese New Zealand. But also because New Zealand will be only the third in rank to the position of half melee in Wild Knights behind two Japanese international Keisuke Uchida and Fumiaki Tanaka.